Weekly recipes coming from your favourite kitchen.

This week, Mr Pickard (Chef Manager) shows you how to make a Prawn Laksa. This Malaysian curry is packed with delicious spices and plump prawns. For the vegetarian alternative you can add tofu or quorn pieces.

We would love to see your creations, send your photos to [email protected].

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 tbsp laksa paste

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp light brown soft sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

½ tbsp tamarind paste

1 lime, finely grated zest and juice

400ml tin coconut milk

100ml/3½fl oz fresh chicken stock, gluten-free if required

85g/3oz baby spinach leaves

200g/7oz raw king prawns, shelled with the tails on (if desired)

100g/3½oz wide flat rice noodles or rice vermicelli

salt and freshly ground black pepper

To garnish

½ red onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced

1 lime, sliced into wedges

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry off the onions for 2-3 mins.
2. Reduce the heat and fry the Laksas paste for a further 5 mins stirring so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the garlic, fish sauce, sugar, tamarind, lime zest and juice and cook for 2-3 mins untill the sugar dissolves.
4. Add the coconut milk and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10-12 mins.
5. Add the spinach and prawns and cook for 2-3 mins or untill the prawns are cooked through. They should be pink in colour and springy to the touch.
6. If needed season with salt and pepper.
7. Cook the rice noodles to manufacturer’s instructions.
8. Divide the Laksa into bowls, top with the rice noodles and garnish with coriander, fresh chilli, red onion and a lime wedge for added zing.
9. Enjoy.

If you don’t fancy prawns you could substitute them for diced chicken or if you are vegetarian use a meat alternative such as Tofu or Quorn pieces.